A sack of suspected cocaine washed up on shore
ROYAL TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS POLICE FORCE
Press Release
A sack of suspected cocaine washed up on shore
On Thursday 14th July 2016 around 4PM, a large amount of drugs was found and handed over to Tactical Unit Officers of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force and a Drug Enforcement Administration Agent.
The white sack containing thirty-two (32) packages of suspected cocaine weighed a total of 36.846 Kilograms (36846.0 grams), with a street value of US$736,920.00 were washed up on the shoreline of one of the Islands in the Turks and Caicos.
As a result of an instruction order given by the Assistant Commissioner of Police, around 3:30PM today (Saturday 16th July 2016) the drugs were destroyed at the Government incinerator on Providenciales.
No one was arrested.
TURKS AND CAICOS POST-CABINET MEETING STATEMENT
Her Excellency the Acting Governor Anya Williams chaired the 21st Meeting of the Cabinet held at the Hilly Ewing Building in Providenciales on Thursday July 14th, 2016.
All ministers were present.
At this meeting Cabinet:
Received a briefing from the Commissioner of Police on recent criminal activity;
Under the provisions of Regulation 5A of the Business Licensing Regulations, Cabinet denied a business license application from Fresh Products TCI to operate in a restricted business activity under the Business Licensing Regulations;
Approved a reduction of import duties from 10% to 0 on the importation of materials imported for the private construction of the Venetian Road and Ocean Drive in Providenciales;
Recommended the development of a policy by the Public Works Department, Planning and Ministry of Finance to allow for concessions to be granted for the construction of privately owned primary and secondary roads traversed by the public;
Advised the Ministry of Finance to progress to the Secretary of State the Turks and Caicos Islands Airports Authority proposal for the refinancing of the TCIAA's existing loan in order to facilitate the redevelopment of the South Caicos Airport;
Approved an amendment to Travel Policy pertaining to the local accommodation and subsistence rates in the Turks and Caicos Islands due to increases in the rate structure due to market demand;
Approved the entering of a lease for the Maritime Department at SDR Commercial Center, Unit 107, 176 South Dock Road, Providenciales for a period of 3 years;
Approved the Draft Gaming Policy and the necessary revisions to the Gaming Legislation in order to facilitate the establishment of a Gaming Commission;
Advised Her Excellency the Acting Governor to approve the opening of the 2016-2017 Crawfish Season from August 15th 2016 to March 15th, 2017;
Approved the award of 169 new scholarship and grant awards as per the recommendations of the Education Advisory Committee. Award letters will be available for collection the week commencing July 29th, 2016;
Approved a proposal from Summerhill Developments Ltd to develop a 2 storey condominium hotel of 24 one, two and three bedroom units in the Bight and Thomas Stubbs, Providenciales subject to Planning approval
Recommended the establishment of a policy regarding refurbishments of developments previously constructed under Development Agreements and approved a request from the Sands Resort in this regard.
Further information on these matters will be provided by Ministers in due course.
US Election 2016: Trump seals Republican nomination
The House Speaker, Paul Ryan, urged delegates to unite behind Mr Trump, a day after splits in the party were evident as the convention opened. The Trump campaign also faces accusations a speech by Mr Trump's wife Melania on Monday was plagiarised. Tuesday's speakers focused almost exclusively on attacking Hillary Clinton, the likely Democratic nominee. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, a former prosecutor, held a mock trial for Mrs Clinton as the crowd chanted "lock her up". Mr Christie and others criticised Mrs Clinton's use of a private email account while she was serving as secretary of state. An FBI investigation said she was "extremely careless" but found her actions didn't warrant criminal prosecution. However, Mr Christie and and the crowd disagreed as Mr Christie repeatedly yelled "guilty". He said she has "selfish, awful judgement" and was to blame for various foreign policy problems in Libya, Syria and elsewhere.
Turkey coup attempt: Charges laid against 99 generals and admirals
Turkey has formally charged 99 generals and admirals in connection with the weekend's thwarted coup attempt - just under a third of the country's 356 top military officers. President Erdogan is meeting with loyal commanders and his cabinet in Ankara. Authorities have banned all academics from travelling abroad, as the purge of state employees suspected of being connected to the failed coup continues. More than 50,000 people have been rounded up, sacked or suspended. So far about 1,577 university deans (faculty heads) have been asked to resign in addition to 21,000 teachers and 15,000 education ministry officials. They are suspected of having links to the alleged mastermind of the coup, US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen - who denies any involvement.
Brussels bomb alert was 'false alarm'
Police were called following reports that a man was acting suspiciously and wearing a coat with wires protruding. The operation has ended and the man was apparently a student of nuclear radiation at university in Brussels. The city was on high alert ahead of Belgium's National Day on Thursday. An attack in Nice on France's Bastille Day last week left 84 people dead. The bomb squad was called, shops evacuated and several streets closed. The BBC's Gavin Lee in Brussels says police approached the man, who was wearing what had appeared to be a suicide vest. After an hour of negotiation, the man was arrested, and the device appeared to be fake, he says.
German train stabbing: De Maiziere warns of lone attacks
Five people were wounded, two critically, by a 17-year-old who went on the rampage on a train in the southern state of Bavaria on Monday. The attacker, who arrived in Germany in 2015 as an unaccompanied migrant, was shot dead holding an axe and a knife. A video emerged in which he said he was a soldier of so-called Islamic State.
IMC/SPORTSMAX SECURES TOKYO 2020 OLYMPIC GAMES
International Media Content Ltd. (IMC), parent company of SportsMax and a subsidiary of Digicel Group, announced today that it has been awarded the exclusive broadcast rights for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games for the Caribbean by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
As the dominant sports rights owner/broadcaster in the Caribbean, this means that IMC will be able to utilize its SportsMax channel in 22 countries in the Caribbean plus partner with broadcasters across the region and leverage all of Digicel’s platforms to deliver live coverage and highlights of the Games via free-to-air and cable television, as well as all mobile, streaming and other digital media platforms. In addition, the IOC and IMC will work together on distribution and content creation for the IOC’s soon to be launched Olympic Channel.
IOC President Thomas Bach said: "We are pleased that we will be working again in the future with IMC in the Caribbean. This partnership will ensure fantastic coverage, including on free-to-air television, of the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018 and the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. We are also excited to be working with IMC on the future development and distribution of the Olympic Channel in the region."
Having served as the rights holder for the London 2012 Olympic Games, IMC will offer multiple broadcast feeds via television and streaming - delivering a much wider and simplified access to the Games. Coverage of the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games will kick-off with full live broadcast in the Caribbean in February 2018.
Olly McIntosh, IMC Managing Director and CEO for SportsMax said; “We are very fortunate for the IOC to have chosen and entrusted IMC/SportsMax once again to bring this most prized event to audiences across 22 countries as the Olympic Games sits at the top of the sports pyramid.” He continued; “this demonstrates the confidence that the IOC has in the strength of our broadcast and production capabilities, the numerous distribution platforms across TV broadcast, mobile, online and cable TV through Digicel Group – as well as the strong relationships IMC has with regional broadcasters that will allow us to offer the Caribbean unprecedented access to the Olympics and the Olympic Channel.”
IOC Member Gerardo Werthein, delegate IOC Member for broadcast rights in the Americas, said: “IMC was our broadcast partner for the Olympic Games in Vancouver in 2010, London in 2012 and Sochi in 2014. Their proven ability to share the magic of the Olympic Games in the region means that this new agreement is great news for sports fans in the Caribbean.”
A New Look for PDM
DOWN TOWN, PROVO, JULY 20, 2016 – The Peoples’ Democratic Movement (PDM) today officially introduced a new look. A recently updated logo design for the PDM is displayed on billboards erected throughout the Turks & Caicos Islands (TCI) and also on other paraphilia. Inspired by the previous logo, the new one represents a simpler, fresh, eloquent and focused design that lives on in modern form.
The new logo is the acronym of the Party’s name. It incorporates the Freedom Bell that signifies the party motto: freedom, justice, and equality for all. The bold font signifies the legacy, the firmness and structure of the PDM and the representation that the ‘People’s Party’ is known for.
The PDM as a political organisation continues to be the voice of the people. Our updated look reflects how modern our movement has become.
Thank you for your support over the years by helping to make the PDM a movement that continues to strive for improving the way of life for every man, woman and child in the TCI.
Garry Marshall Passes Away
Garry Marshall, a writer, director and actor who created the classic sitcoms The Odd Couple, Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley and Mork & Mindy, and directed the film Pretty Woman, has passed away. He was 81.
He died Tuesday from complications of pneumonia following a stroke at a hospital in Burbank, California, according to his rep. Funeral services will be private. A memorial is being planned for his birthday in November.
Marshall was born in the Bronx, New York, on November 13, 1934. He studied journalism at Northwestern University and worked as a reporter after graduation. In 1961, Marshall moved to Los Angeles, and worked as a writer on The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Joey Bishop Show and The Lucy Show.
Along with his friend, the late writer Jerry Belson, he adapted the Neil Simon play The Odd Couple for television. The show starred Jack Klugman and Tony Randall and ran for five seasons, becoming an iconic part of American television.
On his own, Marshall created the enormously successful series Happy Days, which premiered on ABC in 1974. The show ran for 11 seasons and made household names of cast members Henry Winkler, Ron Howard, Tom Bosley, Marion Ross, Pat Morita and Scott Baio.
The show was so successful it spawned several spin-offs, including Mork & Mindy, which made Robin Williams a superstar, and Laverne & Shirley, which featured his sister Penny Marshall, Cindy Williams, David L. Lander and Michael McKean.
Marshall also brought his talents to the big screen as a director. Among his most famous films were the Goldie Hawn/Kurt Russell comedy Overboard; the Bette Midler/Barbara Hershey melodrama Beaches; and the enormously successful 1990 Julia Roberts/Richard Gere romantic comedy Pretty Woman.
Pretty Woman earned an Oscar nod for Roberts and, according to Box Office Mojo, grossed $463 million worldwide.
Marshall's most recent film was this year’s Mother's Day, starring Jennifer Aniston, Kate Hudson and Julia Roberts.
Marshall could also be found in front of the camera, notably in the movies Soapdish and A League of Their Own and in a recurring role on TV's Murphy Brown as Candice Bergen's boss, Stan Lansing.
Marshall earned five Primetime Emmy nominations during his career. He was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 1997.
Marshall is survived by his wife, his two sisters, and three children, including director Scott Marshall.
Wales set for 'biggest game' since 1958 World Cup
Wales' Euro 2016 quarter-final against Belgium on Friday is their biggest match since the 1958 World Cup, according to manager Chris Coleman.
Wales have not reached a major finals since they were beaten by Brazil in the last eight 58 years ago.
Ranked 26th in the world, Coleman's team takes on a side 24 places above them - with a semi-final in Lyon on 6 July the reward for the winner.
"We know what's at stake - it's a fantastic pressure to have," he said.
"Since that 1958 quarter-final, we have to put this down as the biggest game our country's ever been involved in.
"People have already said: 'Wales can't lose, they weren't meant to get to the quarter-final, they're the underdogs.' This definitely isn't the way we see it."
Wales are in the habit of defying the odds as a team whose unity - and sprinkling of star quality in the form of Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale and Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey - compensates for a squad lacking the strength in depth of their illustrious opponents.